Amidst chemical weapons ‘surrender’, open letters and crime agency openings and all other current events you may expect me to write about today let’s just consider this a blog-birthday post of sorts!

I started writing here to keep a habit of reading and writing – publishing regularly is a discipline- one that’s sometimes hard to keep. I wasn’t sure how it all worked and whether it would be a worthwhile space to write in. I have found it surprisingly satisfying and a really fulfiling process. There is so much more reading and writing that I do and want to do in other places, but writing here introduces me to people who are reading and writing along similar themes, not always in agreement and putting it out there creates some kind of accountability and relationship. I’ve read pieces here and there about the brutality of social media and the blogosphere for female writers and thinkers, or the pressure to join a ‘click-bait’ culture or jump on a bandwagon. People have said to me ‘oh blogs are old school/over/dead’ and this has really not been my experience. I read mostly North American blogs regularly and there I can see how blog culture is developing and evolving but is very different to the way we in the UK respond to online content. I reckon there are more layers and ways of sharing, writing, reading, connecting and discovering to be had and I’d been keen to see more UK and Irish writers and readers forming community and connections online and via physical engagement as well as looking across the ocean for comment, movements, activisim and faith conversations.

This is a complex space here because it tells tales of old evangelicalism, of liberal socialist politics or beautiful queer art, theology and perspective. Here are stories of sexy bodies and of marriage and of poverty. It’s got very few answers or beliefs, only ideas. It’s confident and uncertain at the same time, arrogant and insecure. It’s got no niche following, just various readers around the world who relate and respond.

I’m planning my projects and pieces here today andI’m letting you peer over my shoulder at the scribbled notes. I can be incredibly procrastinatory about difficult themes and topices and think that scheduling may be something to make me publish. I’m sharing here what’s to come between now and Christmas and I’d be keen on your views, comments and ideas too:

October

Preaching Hate? – Same -Sex attraction, relationships and the evangelical church in two parts

When We Were on Fire synchroblog – A gathering of stories about how people were/are measured according to the ‘power of your passion’ and your ‘on fire’ days (click above if you want to participate on Tuesday 15th October see the trailer for the book below)

The Dangerous Teaching series continues with two pieces on Deconstruction and Persecution

3 responses to “One Year On: What’s Next…”

This is great! Will make for thought-provoking reading. I am looking forward to the preaching hate posts. My thought on that is to write in such a way that acknowledges that very few evangelicals realise they are actually preaching hate. I was asked by a very intelligent, evangelical Christian what homophobia meant because simply upholding God’s word could not be termed as discrimination! If you could inform that type of thinking, that would be great. Also interested to see what you do with the masterbation one.

Thanks for the encouragement! It’s funny that you say that about the preaching hate topic – because that’s exactly where I have got to having written various drafts with different angles over the last three months – I am sure there is a sower principle with this too though. Thanks for reading and commenting.